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It was always going to be a difficult task for the Blues , considering Juve had only lost once in 14 months since christening their new stadium but in the end it was a very one sided affair with Chelsea showing none of the spirit seen in the previous campaign.

The scoreline was a fair representation of the Italians dominance , and leaves qualification to the last 16 out of the Champions’s hands in two weeks time. This would be the first time a Champion has seen early elimination in the modern era, unless the story line changes and as the Nevillier puts it , “it is written in the stars”.

For the second time in 4 days , Di Matteo rolled the dice , although today’s team selection , dropping Torres , akin to shooting a dead horse, was more understandable. Attempting to stock the defence and play on the counter , Chelsea’s game plan was working for most of the first half ……. Juve had numerous shots on target , but nothing that stung Cech’s hands , and he looked water tight.

Eden Hazard & Juan Mata both missed makeable chances on effective Chelsea breakouts although in truth the real battle was up the other end. It took a deflection from a Fabio Quagliarella shot to wrong foot an unlucky Cech and break the deadlock just before half time …….. all things considered the Blues were probably happy with the one goal deficit at the break , as they were certainly still in with a chance of leaving with the point they came for.

Only the on-line heroics of Ashley Cole prevented the Italians doubling the lead just after the restart , the signs were ominous. Vidal & Giovinco’s goals put the Italians way out of reach , and the introduction of a forlorn Torres with a quarter of the match remaining proved ineffectual.

Ramires individual performance was a bright spot , but the team was noticeably downtrodden following the second goal. In the past , this type of attitude meant an unscheduled visit by Roman to the Cobbham training facility followed by a new manager soon after.

Certainly the new look Chelsea are missing “ a” JT if not the JT. Tonight’s display indicates that Peter Cech is not qualified to be the heir apparent to the armband …… and there may not be one in the current squad . Terry needs to groom someone and quickly.

Chelsea have now lost 3 in 5 and not won any , with the upcoming visit of Manchester City to the Bridge on Sunday and the possibility of going 7 points adrift in what is likely the only big prize left for the Blues , RDM will need a victory .If not the Citee Fans will be heard chanting “you’ll be sacked by Xmas “ …followed by early holiday shopping on the Kings Road.